This invention relates to a juvenile chair, and particularly to a juvenile chair having a seat that can be moved relative to a frame between elevated and lower positions. More particularly, the present invention relates to a foldable plastic juvenile chair having a seat that is movable generally vertically from a lowered position to a raised position and that is capable of assuming a reclined position.
Juvenile high chairs are widely accepted as necessary appliances for seating young children comfortably during a meal or other activity. Chairs that are movable to assume different elevations and orientations are known in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,311 to Meeker et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,719 to Cone, II.
According to the present invention, a juvenile chair includes a frame, a seat movable on the frame, and a height-adjustment mechanism configured to fix the seat in a selected elevation on front legs of the frame. The front legs of the frame have an upper portion, a lower portion, guide channels, and height-position slots separate from the guide channels. The guide channels of the front legs are configured for guiding inclined reciprocating movement of the seat on the frame relative to the upper and lower portions. In addition, the height-position slots are configured for fixing the height-adjustment mechanism at a pre-determined elevation on the frame between the upper and lower portions.
In preferred embodiments, the seat of the juvenile chair includes track guides that ride within the guide channels between the upper and lower portions of the front legs. Each track guide includes a plate extending from the seat, a lower guide post, and an elongated guide block. The guide post and guide block each extend outwardly from the plate and slide in the guide channels of the front legs during sliding movement of the seat on the frame.
The height-adjustment mechanism of the juvenile chair includes spaced-apart latches. Each latch has an outer latch button and an inner latch with a latch tooth sized to fit into the height-position slots. The latch tooth includes a cam surface to permit ramping upward movement of the seat to a higher elevation without manual actuation of the outer latch button. In addition, the tooth includes a flat locking surface facing in an opposite direction from the cam surface to block downward movement of the seat on the frame unless the spring-biased outer latch buttons are simultaneously manually actuated.
In preferred embodiments, the seat may be mounted upon the frame in a reclined position. The frame includes a handle portion extending between the front legs and the seat includes a handle that is coupled to the handle portion of the frame when the seat is mounted on the frame in the reclined position. In addition, locking pins extend through the track guides and into the guide channels of the frame to prevent the seat from pivoting about the handle portion of the frame.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.